Truck.



W. L. DUSTMAN.

TRUCK.

APPLICATION HLED AUG.-'5, I913.

1,142,944. Patented June 15, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEETI.

WITNESSES: MVENTOR J; W /W///&/774 flay/22am as. #M/MM qowwlew A TTORIVEY THE NORRIS PETERS 50., PHOTCLITHD" WASH/NGYON, Dv Cv W.'L. DUSTMAN-TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.5| 1913.

1,142,944. Patented Jun 15, 1915.

SHEETS-SHEET 2.

k TNESSfS: 9 Q nvmvron a 22 a 2 *Q /1////fi7. flaw/727a BY ATTORNEY vTHE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHO7D-LlTNO-. WASHINGTONl D C.

W. L. DUSTMAN.

TRUCK. APPLICATION FILED AUG.5| l9l3.

. Patented June 15, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- WITNESSES: INVENTOR ii 3 M'a/WZ, ids/777a www- ATTORNEYTHE NDRRIS PETE RS CO, PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D, c.

U TE STATE FAFENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. DUSTMAN, OF NORTH YAKIMA, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR T RICHARDWACHSMITH.

TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1915.

Application filed August 5, 1913. Serial No. 783,068.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILLIAM L. DUSTMAN, citizen of the United States,residing at North Yakima, in the county of Yakima and State ofl/Vashington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inTrucks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in 1 hand trucks that may beadapted for moving barrels, bales, boxes and like objects and the objectof my improvement is to provide in connection with a truck frame of theusual form a gripping device consisting in a pair of jaws, disposed nearthe front end of said frame, that are adapted to be automatically openedto receive an object when the truck is tilted substantially to avertical position, and which are further adapted to be closedautomatically by the weight of said truckframe to grasp such object,when such frame is again tilted backwardly from the vertical positionthus to cause said jaws to pick up such object to carry it.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simply constructed andefiicient truck wherein the gripping members will operate efficiently toengage an object whether or not said object be symmetrically disposedwith respect to the truck and wherein said gripping members immediatelywill operate to release a load that may be carried thereon upon raisingthe truck substantially to a vertical position.

I attain these objects by devices illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is'a plan view of a hand truck embodying myinvention showing the jaws as they appear when opened to receive anobject, Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the jaws in a closed position,Fig. 3 is a view of my structure in side elevation with mechanism in thesame position as shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a like View of the same withthe mechanism in the same position as shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is aninverted plan View of my structure showing the handles broken away, Fig.6 is a view in longitudinal section on broken line 6, 6 of Fig. 5, Fig.7 is an enlarged view in cross-section on broken line 7, 7 of Fig. 1,Fig. 8 is an enlarged view in longitudinal section on broken line 8, 8of Fig. 1, and Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of a detail of myinvention.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawing.

Briefly my invention comprises an ordinary truck frame which has a pairof movable gripping jaws associated with its forward end, that areadapted to engage with and pick up an object as a box, barrel, bale orthe like, said movable gripping jaws being connected by suitablemechanism with the axle of the wheels of the truck-frame, whichtruck-frame is adapted to have its positlon with respect to said axlemoved in one direction, when such truck-frame is elevated substantiallyinto a vertical position, to spread apart said gripping jaws to receivean object, and to have its position with relation to said axle moved inan opposite direction to close said gripping jaws into engagement withan object when such truck-frame is tipped backwarclly from such verticalpo sition, said truck-frame being provided with small auxiliary wheelsat the extreme front end to support such frame when it is in a verticalposition.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 10, 10 are two parallel sidemembers of a truck-frame of ordinary construction which have their rearends formed into handles of a common form and are connected together bycross-braces 11 and 12, which braces 11 and 12 are spaced apart and aresecured at intermediate points to the side members 10, 10 toform a rigidframe, such frame being further braced by the rods 19 disposed to extendcrosswise thereof adjacent eachrof the braces 11 and 12 to bind the sidemembers 10, 10 together. The top sides of the side members 10, 10 arereinforced by strap irons 13 which extend substantially the entirelength of the members 10, 10 and are secured thereto by bolts 14.

Plates 15, 15 are provided on the forward end of each of the sidemembers 10, 10, and shafts 16, 16 are disposed to extend through theforward end of each of the plates 15, 15 and through the side members10, 10 and to be rigidly secured therein, such shafts being adapted toproject outwardly from the outside surface of each of the plates 15, 15to form axles on which small auxiliary Wheels 17 may be journaled, whichwheels 17 shall project farther forward than the ends of the sidemembers 10, 10 in order that the truck frame may rest on such auxiliarywheels 17 to support the truck-frame thereon when it is tilted into avertical position.

A brace rod 18, having both of its ends threaded, passes through therear ends of the 3 plates 15, and through the side members 10,10 andisdisposed 'to'extend crosswise of the forwardend of the frame, said rod18 being provided with threaded nuts that are adapted to bear againstthe inside surfaces of the'side members 10, 10 and with other threadednuts that may be tightly screwed against; the outside surface of theplates 15, 15 thus to rigidly secure said brace rod :18 and to form acrossbrace for the front end of the truck-frame. V

U shaped brackets 20-, 20 are secured to the cross-brace 11 and adaptedto project for- V wardly therefrom and a tubular guide-way 21 in whichis slidably mounted one end of a shaft 22 is provided midway between the7 two ends of the brackets 11, the threaded other end 23 of the shaft 22being passed through the central eye of a triple eyed coupling 24 andsecured therein by lock nuts 25,, 25. The shaft is formed witha'fiattened portion 26 between its ends which is provided withaperforation 27 through which a centrally disposed pivot 28 of aswinging double link 29 is passed, said double link 29, having each ofits ends articulated by pivots 30 with, angularly shaped ends ofgripping arms 31 which arms 31 itup;

are secured by pivots 36 within the bearing brackets 20, 20 to extendforwardly, said arms 31 being formed with out-turned portions 32whichwork in elongated slots 33 provided in the side members 10, 1O and theout-turned portions 32'being formed with upturnedzends 34'whichterminate in sharp hook-like gripping points that are adapted to engagewith an article to be moved to pick The large truck wheels 39, 39 arerotatably mounted'on an axle 38 which is secured within the lower endsof arms 37, 37

i which arms 37, 37 have their upper ends pivotally hung on the bracerod 18 in such manner that the wheels 39, 39 may swing on the arms 37,37 said arms'37, 37 being provided with'integral U shaped brackets whichare secured by pivots 40, 40 to perforatedjends 41, 41 of strut rods 42,42 which strut rods 42', 42 have their other ends 43, 43 secured by locknuts 44within the triple eyed coupling 24 whereby such coupling 24 maybe moved lengthwise of the truck to move the shaft 22 and actuate thegripping arms 31. The side 55 members 10, 10 of the truck-frame areformed with the usual supporting legs 46 which are maintained in theirproper position by brace irons 47 and are adapted to support the rearend of thetruck, when such truck is ina horizontal position,in a wellknown manner. a

7 My truck is designed for handling bulky objects such as are ordinarilymoved by hand s trucks andis more particularly adapted for handlingbales, boxes and the like where such bales or boxes are stored in piles,one- 7 upon theother, andwhere it may be ad vantageous to pickup andmove an entire pile of such objects without repiling them or handlingeach object separately The operation of my truck may be described asfollows: The truck, which is nor mally adapted to trundle on the wheels39,

39 is trundledclose to the object to be moved 7 and is then tippedupwardly substantially into avertical position which acts to transferthe weight of the frame of the'truck.

from the truckwheels 39, 39 to bear on the small auxiliary wheels 17 andat the same time lifts the frame of the truck to change its lengthwiseposition with relation to the axis of the truck'wheel 39, 39, and intheprocess of changingsuch relative positions the truck-frame is thentilted backwardly from its verticalposition in the manner commonlyemployed when ordinary-trucks are i used, whereby the weight of thetruck-frame and its load is transferred to rest on the wheels 39, 39thus causing a backward thrust on the strut rods 42 which thrust actsthrough the double link 29 toswingand force the gripping arms 31, 31and-their:

hooked shaped extremities 34, 34 toward each other to grasp the oppositesides of the load with a grip like that of a pair of ice tongs, and thusthe'load israised from the floor and tipped back with the truck-frame tobe wheeled away while supported on the truck wheels '39, 39. To unloadthe'truck,

the truck-frame is again elevated substantially to a vertical positionto again rest its weight upon the auxiliary wheels 17 while its load isdisposed in the desired location V on the floor, by which act therelative positions of the frame of the truck and the axis ofthe truckwheels 39,39 are again changed with the result that the strut rods '22,22 and the double pivot links 29 again act to spread apart the grippingarms 31, 31' and their hook-shaped extremities 34, 34 to release theirgrip on the load and then the truck may be'moved backward a shortdistance from the load while supported on the auxiliary wheels 17whereupon the truck-frame may be tipped downwardly againto be trundledon truck wheels 39, 39 for anotherv load. Should the objectto bemoved be1111 symmetricallydisposed with respect to the truck-frame whensuchitruck is positioned to pick up an object, one of the jaws 34 willfirst engage a side of such object and the double pivot bar 29 will thenswing about the pivot 28 until the other jaw 34 engages with anotherside of such object, elongated holes being provided at the pivot point36 in each of the arms 31, as illustrated in Fig. 7 to admit of sidewisemotion of the rear ends of such arms, thus to render my truckautomatically adjustable to loads disposed on either side of the centerof the truck.

Manifestly minor changes in details and form of construction of theseveral parts of my device may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of my invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

WVhat I claim is:

l. The combination with a truck frame having longitudinally-slotted sidemembers, a pair of arms pivotally supported on said frame, an axlecarried by said arms, wheels mounted on said axle and adapted to beshifted in a direction lengthwise of said frame, plates secured toopposite sides of said frame, a rod extending transversely of the frameand extending through said plates, wheels mounted on said plates, ashaft slidably-mounted lengthwise of said frame, a pair of gripping armspivotally connected at their upper ends to said frame, and having theirlower ends extending through the slots of the side members thereof,strutrods connecting said axle-carrying arms to said shaft, and linksconnecting said gripping arms to said shaft.

2. The combination with a truck frame comprising longitudinally-slottedside members, and a cross-bar formed with a central guide-opening, of apair of gripping arms pivotally connected to said cross-bar at theirupper ends and having their lower ends extending through said sidemembers, a longitudinally-movable shaft extending through saidguide-opening, links connecting said shaft and gripping arms, a pair ofarms pivotally supported upon opposite sides of said frame, an axlecarried by said arms, wheels mounted on said axle, and a pair ofstrut-rods connecting said arms with said shaft.

3. The combination with a truck frame, of a pair of gripping armspivotally-secured to said frame, arms pivotally secured to oppo sitesides of the frame, an axle carried by said arms, Wheels on said axle,means for operating said gripping arms by the movement of thetruck-frame, a rod extending transversely of the frame, plates atOpposite sides of the frame through which said rod extends, shaftsprojecting from said plates, and wheels mounted thereon.

4. The combination with a truck frame, comprising side members and across-bar formed with a central guide-opening, a pair of gripping armspivotally connected to said cross-bar, a longitudinally-movable shaftextending through said guide-opening, links connecting said shaft tosaid gripping arms, a triple-eyed coupling on the forward end of saidshaft, a pair of arms pivotally se cured to opposite sides of the frame,an axle carried by said arms, wheels on said axle, a pair of strut-rodsconnecting said axle-carrying arms with said coupling, a rod extendingthrough the side members of the frame, plates mounted on said rod and apair of supplemental wheels mounted on said plates.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 24th day of JulyA. D., 1913.

WILLIAM L. DUSTMAN.

WVitnesses:

F. C. MATHENY, A. HASKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

